I have been thinking of Chelm* lately, not the real industrial town in Poland, home to about 18,000 Jews (60% of the population) until they were annihilated in World War II. Rather, what comes to mind is the Chelm of Jewish folklore, penned by Elijah B'al Shem of the real Chelm, and commercialized by Isaac Bashevis Singer in the 1900s – because I believe there are Chelmites among us today.

Chelm, the legend, began when God's angels inadvertently overlooked an area while they were populating the earth with a reasonable assortment of foolish and wise souls. As one obliging angel, armed with the two bags of souls, made his way back through the clouds to correct the omission, he snagged one bag on the jagged point of a particularly high mountain peak, causing all the foolish souls to float down to earth. Thus was Chelm created with foolish, like-minded people, although there were always a few citizens who deemed themselves to be above the rest, clever and capable of discovery, analysis, and problem solving for the community.

It was on a snowy, wintry night, in fact, that the Wise Men of Chelm were seated around a wood-burning stove, trying to explain why winter was cold and summer, hot. As they sat in the firelight, watching the sparks and smoke moving upward through the chimney, one of the philosophers reasoned that as people throughout the world were burning wood to keep warm, all the heat was rising into the sky. After months of buildup, the air became warm enough to provide summer. Then, of course, when the stoves were idle and the air cooled once again, winter would return. Little did these khakhamim know that their thoughts would become the "big question" of the 21st century – Climate Change.

Despite the difficulties of migration, the Chelmites managed to leave their village, travel and spread their wisdom to others. The first Democrat debate of 2015 is the perfect example as we heard Bernie Sanders respond to what he deemed the greatest threat to national security. Without hesitation, he cited "climate change." Challenged by the moderator about terrorism, he continued, "Of course, international terrorism is a major issue that we have got to address today, but climate change is directly related to the growth of terrorism and international conflicts." Can Sanders explain why only Muslims, specifically, are so imbued with the desire to kill because of the climate? If the syndrome has not yet been identified, we might consider "Thermocide."

Another intellect, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, said, "Empirical evidence alone – without reference to climate models – suggests that a general warming trend is probably affecting weather and ecosystems, exacerbating the impact on humans." Again we might ask why only the Muslim humans are so influenced as to increase the rapes in northern Sweden by more than a thousand fold since they first began arriving in the 1970s, or to detonate themselves while killing others.

Oblivious to the 14 centuries of Islamic carnage, our sages pursue a climate change issue that is scientifically constant, and not "change" at all. Climate is used by the Left to distract us from Islam's complicity in drastically changing America. They would sooner discuss climate than the current knifing of Jews, beheading of Christians, and killing and injuring holiday revelers. Sanders and his like-minded sages should explore meteorology.

Secretary of State John Kerry, unquestionably a Chelm descendant, legitimized the Charlie Hebdo massacre and the murder of Jews in Israel as understandable, reasonable, and warranted. He proclaimed that terrorists are encouraged by poverty, despite the oil wealth and strong financial support from the Muslim Brotherhood. He denied our American exceptionalism, and pledged to appoint ambassadors, based on their sexual orientation.

Another intellectual of the Chelm mindset is Hillary Clinton, who declared: "Let's be clear: Islam is not our adversary. Muslims are peaceful and tolerant people and have nothing whatsoever to do with terrorism." She further offered, "These Muslims over here are just peaceful, faithful people living their lives, whereas those Muslims over there are radical and seek to impose a toxic strain of their faith via terror and violence." It may be that she envisions arrowed road signs, "Terrorists this way to Europe" and "Moderates this way to America," or she had them posted during her many trips to Islamic countries. Unfortunately, signs are no solution for the high illiteracy rate, which could account for the 900 Islamic terrorist cells in the US, as revealed by the FBI. Of the latest act of terrorism in San Bernardino, Hillary blamed the inanimate weapons themselves.

Remember that National Intelligence Director James Clapper said to Congress, "The term 'Muslim Brotherhood'...is an umbrella term for a variety of movements, in the case of Egypt, a very heterogeneous group, largely secular, which has eschewed violence..." In fact, the Brotherhood was a co-conspirator in the trial of the Holyland Foundation, the largest terrorism-financing ever successfully prosecuted in American history. A major financier of the terrorist organization, Hamas, is dedicated to jihad, the destruction of Israel, and to turning America into a Muslim nation, to "eliminating and destroying the Western civilization from within."

The politically correct are inclined to say that a majority of Muslims loathe violence, but surveys prove that the majority of Muslims want violent sharia law to prevail over the host country's laws, and a recent Fox News poll indicated that one in four admitted that violent jihad against America is justified. The Koran commands Muslims to engage in holy war (Jihad) in order to impose Islam and Sharia law on the entire world. Sharia demands support of terrorism and suicide bombings, and conversion to Islam or death.

To say that our Commander-in-Chief is also from Chelm, inexperienced and na´ve, would in itself be na´ve. He has been following a specific agenda to bringing our country to where it is today, without once veering off course. If he were inexpert and bungling, he could not have so thoroughly hidden his background, divided us into opposing factions and causing chaos on our streets, rejected and rewritten laws, dispatched the CIA for secret operations, created a runaway government, trivialized our Constitution, reduced our personal freedoms, and conspired to change our national identity and endanger our existence with tens of thousands of unvetted, Koran-inspired "immigrants."

Now, if the incoming Syrians exhibit no violence, we may conclude that climate change is not a threat. If, however, we recognize Islamic violence in the Middle East also occurs in northern climes, we would have to ascertain which changes actually result in the atrocities, or identify their teachings and laws as the true link to violence. As for our Commander-in-Chief, he is not of Chelm. It is his "dark impulses," the same impulses of which he accuses Americans who seek to close our borders to jihadi invaders, that are failing us.

Tabitha Korol

Tabitha Korol began her political writing letters to the editor after her retirement, and earned an award from CAMERA (Committee on Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America) "in recognition of outstanding letter-writing in 2009 to promote fair and factual reporting about Israel." She was cited as one of America's modern-day, articulate, patriotic women in Frederick William Dame's Three American Fur Hat Fighters for Freedom.

Her essays appear on Arutz Sheva, Conservative News and Views, Dr. Swier, Grumpy Opinions, IsraelNewsTalkRadio, Israel's Voice, Jewish Press, JewishVoiceNY, New Media Journal, RenewAmerica, Tea Party Express, WebCommentary, Western Free Press and others. She revised David Silberman's book of Holocaust survivors' accounts for publication, and proofreads/edits for a monthly city newsletter.